Republican state Senate candidate George Plescia took issue with a recent statement by his opponent asserting the former assemblyman opposed bills to prevent discrimination against women in the workplace, including legislation to prohibit gender-based pay inequity.

Plescia co-authored and supported two bills to mandate equal pay based on gender and legislation that made failure to provide equal pay a violation of the labor code.

But his opponent, Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego, pointed to two pieces of legislation opposed by Plescia: Assembly Bill 2317 to increase damages for employees who received unequal pay and Assembly Bill 358 to apply the principles of the United Nation’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The debate mirrors those taking place in campaigns across the country.

“Plescia’s attacks on women do not stop at equal pay,” Block said. “He has taken votes against reproductive care, a woman’s right to choose, maternity services and availability to contraception, and a number of other positions his voters will find repulsive. He can’t run from his record. His real votes are really disturbing.”

Plescia said his voting record on support of equal pay for women was clear.

“I co-authored and voted for two bills that specifically mandate equal pay based on gender,” he said. “I supported legislation that makes failure to provide equal pay based on gender a violation in the labor code. Period.”

Plescia said he didn’t support Assembly Bill 2317 because it would expose businesses to excessive litigation and was “designed as job-killing legislation and had nothing to do with equal pay.”

He did not directly respond to opposing the U.N.-inspired bill, which called for nations to prohibit discrimination in employment opportunities, education, and health care.

“I support equal pay for women,” Plescia said. “Marty Block’s attempt to distort my record is part of his pattern to distract voters from the real issues that San Diegans face every day: jobs, jobs and jobs. That is the clearest distinction in this race: I support policies that create jobs; Marty Block’s supports policies to kill jobs in California. It’s that simple. Our voting records are the proof.”

Democrats have waded into similar disputes involving gender-gap politics in recent months, with some strategists seeing it as something that could help them make gains in the House and re-electing President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, Republican candidates have launched a series of counterattacks designed to show how Democrats’ policies disproportionately harm women.

The debate has featured several high-profile flare ups such as when talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh branded Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” after she testified about mandating contraception coverage. Later, Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen said on CNN that Ann Romney — believed to be her husband’s chief adviser on women’s issues — “never worked a day in her life.”